How to employ an apprentice

There are several benefits to hiring an apprentice, for both the employer and candidate, with regards to building an individual employee’s skillset and long-term employment retention. If you are a company that is interested in registering for an apprenticeship scheme, read on to find out more on the process of doing so:

1. Decide which type and level of apprenticeship to support: Depending on your company size, the number and level of apprenticeships you choose to take on will vary. First of all, you will have to decide which type of apprenticeship you would like to offer. For example, if you owned a dental practice then you may choose to provide a Level 3 Dental Nursing Apprenticeship.
2. Choose an organisation which offers the relevant training for the apprenticeship: You then need to source training providers who offer the apprenticeship training you have decided to invest in. At Aspiration Training, we provide training materials, remote tutor support and an e-portfolio for employers to fully track their apprentices’ assessments and progress. With diplomas such as the Level 3 Dental Nursing qualification, there is also the opportunity to study complementary courses where necessary, such as Level 2 Functional Skills in Maths and English so candidates can develop their transferable skills.
3. Determine how much funding you’re entitled to: All companies who choose to employ an apprentice must contribute towards the cost of their programme. As an employer, if you have pay bill of more than £3 million per year then you will need to pay into the apprenticeship levy. This is a Government initiative which requires suitable employers to make an investment into apprenticeships. On top of your contributions, the government will pay a 10% top up fee. If you do not qualify to pay the levy, costs for the employer have been halved from 10% to 5% as of April 2019 for all new apprenticeship starts, with government funding to cover the remaining costs rising to 95%. There are also several other types of funding available: for example, a £1000 grant is available for every 16-18 apprentice you recruit.
4. Advertise the available position(s): Should you choose Aspiration Training, we will advertise your vacancies for free on our website in order to quickly connect you with suitable candidates. We recruit, advertise, screen all applicants, conduct preliminary interviews, and undertake any necessary pre-testing to your company’s requirements and specification in order to find the ideal candidate.
5. Interview and hire your preferred candidate: Once you have interviewed and hired your apprentice, you will need to sign an apprenticeship agreement with them. This should cover the length of their apprenticeship and employment, the training they will receive, their working rights and conditions and provide confirmation of whichever qualification they are working towards. You will also need to sign a commitment statement in agreement with your apprentice and your training organisation (e.g. Aspiration Training) confirming the scheduled content for their training, requirements for all parties to conform to and outlining a process to resolve any queries or complaints.

At Aspiration Training, we are passionate about connecting employers with their ideal apprentice candidates. If you would like to know more about our services, get in touch with us.